Climate Protection in Transport – Need for Action in the Wake of the Paris Climate Agreement

Transport is not only an indispensable part of our daily lives, but also one of the major sources of greenhouse gases in Germany. What can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport in the short- and mid-term? How can transport become greenhouse gas-neutral in the long term? Are Germany’s climate targets in the transport sector sufficiently ambitious? This paper answers these questions. It describes what needs to be done in the coming years to reconcile developments in the transport sector with the commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement and the German government’s Climate Action Plan 2050. It suggests measures that can help to achieve a quick and significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring that the climate targets agreed upon in Paris could be met by Germany’s transport sector.